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Point of sale software · head to head

Square vs Vagaro

Connor Blake Written by Connor Blake · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Mateus Rocha · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Square is a general register with an appointment mode; Vagaro is a salon and studio system with a checkout attached. Square costs nothing per month to start and also covers retail and food. Vagaro charges per bookable calendar and goes deeper on client records, memberships and commissions. A solo barber can start on Square; an established salon usually wants Vagaro.

Side by side

SquareVagaro
What it isFree-to-start POS with its own readers and terminalsSalon, spa and studio booking with checkout built in
Best forNew and seasonal businesses, pop-upsSalons, spas, barbers, fitness studios
HeadquartersUnited StatesUnited States
Pricing modelProcessing + optional per location / monthPer calendar / month
PricingFree plan with flat-rate card processing; Plus at $49 and Premium at $149 per location per month lower the processing rate and add features across restaurant, retail and appointment modes.Monthly subscription priced by number of bookable calendars, plus add-ons and Vagaro payment processing.
Free optionFree planFree trial
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		$49 per month per location (Square Plus); Square Free is $0 per month plus processing fees£20 per month for one location with one bookable calendar, cancel anytime (as listed on Vagaro's UK pricing page)
Place in our point of sale software ranking#4 of 15#9 of 15
Websitesquareup.comvagaro.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Point of Sale (POS) Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Square if

you are new, seasonal or a solo operator who wants to take cards today with no monthly fee, or your business also sells retail or food alongside appointments.

Square, #4 in the ranking · Visit Square →

Choose Vagaro if

appointments are the business: several staff on commission, client notes and formulas, memberships or class packs, and you want booking and checkout in one record.

Vagaro, #9 in the ranking · Visit Vagaro →

Where they differ

Depth of the booking workflow

Vagaro includes with every plan online booking, memberships and packages, client data, forms and SOAP notes, resource management, waitlists, inventory tracking and a listing on its consumer marketplace. Square covers online booking, reminders and unlimited staff calendars on its free plan, but puts no-show fees, multi-staff booking and the waitlist on Plus and resource management on Premium. An appointment-led business gets more from Vagaro without upgrading.

Edge: Vagaro

Cost on day one

Square Free is $0 per month per location; Plus is $49 and Premium $149 per location. Vagaro has a 30-day free trial, then a subscription: its UK page lists GBP20 per month for one location with one bookable calendar, and each added calendar costs $10 in the US up to seven, after which more staff are free. For a new business with modest volume, Square is cheaper to begin.

Edge: Square

Selling things that are not appointments

Square runs restaurant, retail and appointment modes from one account, plus an online store, invoices, loyalty and gift cards, so a barber who adds a product wall or a café counter stays in one system. Vagaro sells retail products, but its inventory is basic next to a dedicated retail POS, and it is no use to a restaurant or general store.

Edge: Square

Processing lock-in and rates

Neither leaves you free to shop for a processor. Square lists US rates of 2.6% plus 15 cents for in-person cards on Free, falling to 2.4% on Premium, and invites sellers above $250,000 a year to ask about custom rates. Vagaro's UK page lists 1.15% plus GBP0.20 for chip and tap and 1.40% plus GBP0.25 keyed, with no monthly fee. Those lists cover different countries, so neither wins on rate.

Edge: even

Tally: Square 2, Vagaro 1, even 1.

When neither fits

If you want to choose your own card processor and keep bargaining power, neither allows it. Loyverse gives small shops and cafes a free tablet POS with a free choice of processor, and KORONA POS offers retailers a free choice of processor on month-to-month terms.

See Loyverse and KORONA POS among the 15 products in Best Point of Sale (POS) Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Square or Vagaro better for a hair salon?

For a salon with several stylists on commission, Vagaro: booking, client notes, memberships, tips and commissions sit in one system, and it lists the business in a consumer marketplace. For a solo chair or a new shop watching costs, Square's free plan and appointment mode are a reasonable start.

Does Square or Vagaro have a free plan?

Square does: Square Free is $0 per month per location, with card processing from 2.6% plus 15 cents in person. Vagaro has no free plan; it offers a 30-day free trial, then a monthly subscription priced per bookable calendar that can be canceled at any time without a cancellation fee.

Can I use my own payment processor with Square or Vagaro?

No, in both cases. Square's readers and terminals only work with Square payments, and Vagaro's payments are tied to Vagaro processing. If processor choice matters, that requirement rules out both and points toward systems that let the merchant pick.

What does each extra staff member cost on Square and Vagaro?

On Square, staff calendars are unlimited on the free appointments plan, and the paid plans are charged per location rather than per person. On Vagaro, each bookable calendar added to a location costs $10 in the US, up to seven; beyond seven, more employees can be added at no extra cost.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.